Hold-open door check



March 15, 1955 I H. H. WE NZEL ,9

HOLD-OPEN DOOR CHECK Filed March 31, 1954 3 Shets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

HANS H. WENZEL ATT'YS H. H. WENZEL HOLD-OPEN DOOR CHECK March 15 1955 :s Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 3l, 1954 INVENTOR. HANS H. WENZEL A I' 'F'YS March 15, 1955 H. H. WENZEL 2,703,906

HOLD-OPEN DOOR CHECK Filed March 31, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. HANS H. WEN Z E L ATT'YS United States Patent C) HOLD-OPEN DOOR CHECK Hans H. Wenzel, Chicago, 11]., assignor to The Oscar C. Rixson Co., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application March 31, 1954, Serial No. 420,074

10 Claims. (Cl. 16-55) This invention relates to hold-open detent mechanism suitable for use in floor hinges of the general type of Patent No. 1,064,255, Closer and Check for Single-Acting Doors, dated June 10, 1913, and Patent No. 1,025,309, Door Closing Mechanism, dated May 7, 1912, both issued to Oscar C. Rixson.

The main objects of this invention are to PIOVld6 an improved form of hold-open detent mechanism for swmging doors; to provide such detent mechanism that can be readily applied to floor hinges of existing types of door checks with minimum need for changes in the structure of any parts of such devices that have become standardized by long usage; to provide such improvements at minimum additional cost; to provide such holdopen detent mechanism that can be selectively changed between on and off status by a simple operation; to provide improved means for locking the hold-open detent in its door-controlling position; and to provide in such detent mechanism an improved arrangement wherein the door is automatically held in its open position and is releasable by a slight application of initial force in the manual closing of the door.

Two specific embodiments of this invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan of a single-acting floor hinge equipped with hold-open detent mechanism constructed according to this invention, omitting parts of the floor hinge and checking structure that are not deemed essential to the disclosure of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the detent mechanism with the casing shown in section.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the single-acting door hold-open detent mechanism of Figs. 1 and 2, illustrating the arrangement and operation of the selector lock that renders the detent mechanism operative or inoperative with respect to the door.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a hold-open detent mechanism for double-acting doors with some of the parts separated for more clearly illustrating the structure thereof.

Fig. 5 is a top plan of the same, and

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the same.

In the form shown in Figs. 1, and 2, the main supporting frame 10 is a housing that is adapted to be embedded in the floor below the door and has journaled therein the upright spindle 11 which supports and turns with the door.

In accordance with the usual construction, the spindle 11 is a crank shaft having a crank pin 12 that coacts with dashpot mechanism, not shown, for checking the speed of the closure of the door, and a crank pin extension 13 that is connected with a spiral torsion spring 14 by door closing linkage which usually comprises a long link 15 and a series of short links for flexing about the spindle. In the present structure there are two such shorter links 16 and 17. These links are pivotally connected together end to end between the spring 14 and crank pin 13 as shown, so that the shorter links can flex around the spindle 11 in its rotation for the opening and closing movements of the door.

According to the present invention the hold-open detent mechanism comprises a member 18 in the form of a single toothed cam that is loosely rotatable on the lower part of the spindle 11 for independent rotation about the axis 19 of that spindle within a limited range of angular movement.

The radial tooth or lobe 20 of the cam 18 coacts with a shoulder on the linkage provided by a pivot pin 21 which connects the links 16 and 17, which pivot has mounted thereon an anti-friction roller 22. The cam surface 23, on the side of the tooth 20, is so formed that when the cam 18 is held in the position in which it is shown in Fig. 1, the tooth 20 will engage the roller 22 on the link pin 21 and hold the door closing linkage against the pull of the spring 14. When extra force is applied for closing the door, the cam surface 23 of the tooth 20 allows the roller to ride over the tooth, through outward buckling of the joint between the links 16 and 17 against the resistance of the spring 14, so as to release the linkage. The spring 14 is then free to perform its normal function of turning the spindle 11 to bring the door to its fully closed position.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the parts are in the position corresponding to that in which the detent mechanism holds the door open at to its normally closed position As shown in Fig. 1, the cam 18 is locked for holding the door in this open position by means of an integral, radially projecting arm 24, which is normally shiftable into and out of engagement with a stop pin 25 on the frame 10 during opening and closing action of the door, and in order to lock the cam arm in this door-holding position, the stop pin 25 has an arm 26 carrying a stud 27 that can be rotated about the pin 25 by a handle 28 from locking position, as in Fig. l, to an open or releasing position, as shown in Fig. 3. When the arm 24 is released the cam 18 is free to turn on the spindle 11 and is normally urged to the position shown in Fig. 3 by a light return spring 29.

When the door is closed, the crank pin 13 will have swung substantially 90 counterclockwise and the roller 22 will have been moved some distance to the right of the normal position of the tooth 20. Thus, when the arm 24 of the cam is free from the locking stud 27, the swinging of the door to an open position will cause the roller to contact the cam surface 30 of the tooth 20 and thereby turn the cam 18 with the spindle 11 so that roller 22 does not pass over the tooth and the linkage is free to operate in its normal way to cause the door to return automatically to its closed position under the action of the return spring 14.

When the end of the arm 24 is locked between stop pin 25 and the stud 27, as in Fig. l, the tooth 20 will be held stationary and the opening of the door will cause the roller 22 to ride over the cam surface 30 into position for holding engagement with the cam surface 23 whereby the door will be normally held in the open position. At such times the manual pressure on the door in the closing direction will force the roller 22 to cam itself outwardly and ride over the cam surface 23, past the tooth 20 in the backward direction but the detent cam 18 will remain stationary and ready to hold the door at its open position against the normal action of the return spring 14 unless a definite closing force is applied to the door.

In the form shown, each short link of the linkage system comprises a pair of plates that are spaced apart vertically to accommodate the roller 22 and the cam tooth 20 between them. y

In the form shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, the hold-open detent mechanism is arranged for a double-acting door and is shown in operating position with the door closed. In this case the hinge spindle 31 has two crank arms 32 with crank pins 33 and each of these crank pins is connected by chain linkage to a separate main mctor spring. These springs are not illustrated in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, but are well known in the art, one being arranged to close the door when it is swung to one side, and the other being arranged to close the door when it is swung to the other side. The detent rollers 34 correspond to the roller 22 of the single-acting door holder mechanism and the linkages 35 correspond to that of the single-acting mechanism in relation to their respective spring. rollers 34 are journalled on the pivots 34.1 of the linkages 35.

In the case of the double-acting door, the hold-open cam 36 is carried by the sleeve 37 which is loosely mounted on the spindle 31, and this sleeve has an annular selector member 38 spaced above the hold-open cam 36. The selector member is the means for rendering the hold-open cam operative and is provided with an arcuate The notch 39 in its margin shaped to receive the periphery of an annular lock cam 40, which is rotatably mounted on a shaft or pin 41 so that it can be turned into and out of locking engagement with the notch 39 to prevent or permit turning of the cam 36 under the influence of the rollers 34. The lock cam 40 also has its margin cut away, as at 40.1, suificient to allow clearance for the necessary rocking movement of the selector member 33, with the hold-open cam 36, when the lock cam 40 is out of holding engagement with the selector cam member, and the hold-open mechanism is not functionlng.

As shown, the hold-open cam 36 is provided with two lobes or teeth 42 and 43, one on each side of the spindle 31, which are engageable with the respective rollers 34, during swinging movement of the door, in the same manner as described for the single acting mechanism of Flgs. l, 2, and 3, the roller being shifted during movement of the door by means of the crank arms 32 which turn with the spindle 31 and pull the linkages 35 on one side or the other according to the direction which the door 1s swung.

Only the head of the pin 41 extends through the cover 44 of the housing 45 of the double-acting door check, and this pin 41 is provided with a screw driver slot by means of which it can be turned in either direction to put the hold-open detent mechanism into and out of operatlon as will be readily understood from Figs. 4, 5 and 6.

In order to accommodate the detent mechanism to the structure of the doubleacting door check, the hold-open cam 36 is located in the upper part of the casing, as shown in Fig. 6, because that happens to be the location of the linkage of the existing door check mechanism with which the hold-open detent assemblage is associated.

In the case of the double-acting door, a return spr ng for centering the selector member 38, and corresponding to the spring 29 of the single-acting door, is unnecessary because the annular periphery of the lock cam 40, upon entering the cut-out portion 39 of the selector member 38, will automatically cam the selector member to its central position for hold-open operation. A suitable fixed stop 46, cngageable with the angularly spaced shoulders 47 on the selector member 38, is provided to limit turning movement of the selector member so that the cut-out notch 39 will never be shifted beyond a position for operative entry of the lock cam 40 when it is turned in one direction or the other.

Thus when the lock cam 40 is held in the locked position as shown in Fig. 4, the location of both hold-open cam teeth or lobes 42 and 43 will be held in fixed position for hold-open engagement with either of the rollers 34 according to which direction the door is swung, and it will be understood that when one of the rollers 34 is engaged with the lobe or tooth 42 or 43, the other roller 34 will be out of position to engage with its respective lobe or tooth.

The main advantages of this invention reside in the relatively simple means for permitting a swinging door to be automatically held in open position when swung to a predetermined position, and yet be readily releasable for normal closing operation by a relatively slight amount of manual pressure on the door. Other advantages reside in the arrangement whereby the hold-open mechanism can be easily set to be either operative or inoperative; and in the relatively simple manner and low cost by which the automatic hold-open mechanism can be incorporated in existing door closing devices.

Although but two specific embodiments of this invention are herein shown and described, it is understood that numerous details of the invention shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a door check, a frame. a door hinge spindle hav ing a crank arm. a door-closing spring, a linkage connecting said crank arm and spring to urge said spindle to its door-closing position, a cam loosely journalled on said spindle for independent rotation about the axis thereof and having a radial cam tooth in the path of said linkage, a shoulder on said linkage adapted to engage with said cam tooth when the door is in an open position, and means on said frame adapted to hold said cam with said cam tooth in position to obstruct the door-closing action of said spring.

2. In a door check, a frame, a door hinge spindle having a crank arm, a door-closing spring, a linkage connecting said crank arm and spring to urge said spindle to its door-closing position, a cam loosely journalled on said spindle for independent rotation about the axis thereof and having a radial cam tooth in the path of said linkage, a shoulder on said linkage adapted to coact with said cam tooth when the door is in open position, and means on said frame adapted to hold said cam with its tooth in position to obstruct the door-closing action of said spring, said cam tooth having a cam surface adapted to deflect said shoulder over said tooth when said spindle is turned by extraneous force applied to the door.

3. In a door check, a frame, a door hinge spindle having a crank arm, a door-closing spring, a linkage connecting said crank arm and spring to urge said spindle to its door-closing position, a cam loosely journalled on said spindle for independent rotation about the axis thereof and having a radial tooth in the path of said linkage, a shoulder on said linkage adapted to coact with said tooth when the door is in an open position, and means on said frame adapted to hold said cam with its tooth in position to obstruct the door-closing action of said spring, said tooth having a cam surface on each of both side edges thereof adapted to deflect said shoulder over said sprocket tooth when said spindle is turned through movement of the door.

4. In a door check, a frame, a door hinge spindle having a crank arm, a door-closing spring, a linkage connecting said crank arm and spring to urge said spindle to its door-closing position, a cam loosely journalled on said spindle for independent rotation about the axis thereof and having a radial cam tooth in the path of said linkage, a shoulder on said linkage adapted to coact with said tooth when the door is in an open position, and means on said frame adapted to hold said cam with its tooth in position to obstruct the door-closing action of said spring, said tooth having a cam surface adapted to deflect said shoulder over said tooth when said spindle is turned by extraneous force applied to the door, and said linkage comprising a pair of links having pivotal connection adjacent said shoulder adapted to buckle to permit such deflection of said shoulder.

5. In a door check, a frame, a door hinge spindle having a crank arm, a door-closing spring, a linkage connecting said crank arm and spring to urge said spindle to its door-closing position, a cam loosely journalled on said spindle for independent rotation about the axis thereof and having a radial tooth in the path of said linkage, a shoulder on said linkage adapted to engage with said tooth when the door is in an open position, and means on said frame adapted to lock said cam with its tooth in position to obstruct the door-closing action of said spring.

6. In a door check, a frame, a door hinge spindle having a crank arm, a door-closing spring, a linkage connecting said crank arm and spring to urge said spindle to its door-closing position, a cam loosely journalled on said spindle for independent rotation about the axis thereof and having a radial tooth in the path of said linkage, a shoulder on said linkage adapted to coact with said tooth when the door is in an open position, a lock means on said frame adapted to engage said cam to hold said tooth in position to obstruct the door-closing movement of said linkage; and a return spring acting between said cam and frame for normally urging said earn angularly toward position for engagement by said lock means.

7. In a door check, a frame, a door hinge spindle having a crank arm, a door-closing spring, a linkage connecting said crank arm and spring to urge said spindle to its door-closing position, a cam loosely journalled on said spindle for independent rotation about the axis thereof and having a radial tooth in the path of said linkage, a shoulder on said linkage adapted to coact with said tooth when the door is in an open position, said cam having a radially disposed arm, a stop means on said frame positioned to be engaged by said arm for holding said cam with its tooth in position to engage said shoulder and hold the door open, a return spring normally urging said arm toward said stop means, and a detent shiftable into and out of position to hold said arm against said stop means.

8. In a double-acting door-closing device which includes a frame, a door-carrying hinge spindle having a pair of crank arms connected by separate linkages to a pair of main springs for respectively urging the door to a closed position from respectively opposite open positions, a hold-open detent mechanism comprising a cam journalled on said spindle for independent rotation about the axis thereof, a pair of radial teeth on said cam angularly spaced apart for coaction with respective linkages, a shoulder on each linkage positioned to engage the respective cam tooth at a certain respective position of the linkage corresponding to a hold-open position of the door, and lock means shiftable into and out of position to engage said cam and hold the same in its doorholding position.

9. In a double-acting door-closing device which includes a frame, a door-carrying hinge spindle having a pair of crank arms connected by separate linkages to a pair of main springs for respectively urging the door to a closed position from respectively opposite open positions, a hold-open detent mechanism comprising a cam journalled on said spindle for independent rotation about the axis thereof, a pair of teeth on said cam angularly spaced apart for coaction with respective linkages, a shoulder on each linkage positioned to engage the respective cam tooth at a certain respective position of the linkage corresponding to a hold-open position of the door, and lock means shiftable into and out of position for holding said cam in its door-holding position, each said cam tooth being shaped to cause the respective linkage shoulder to escape from holding relation therewith when tihe spindle is turned by extraneous force applied to the oor.

10. In a double-acting door-closing device which includes a frame, a door-carrying hinge spindle having a pair of crank arms connected by separate linkages to a pair of main springs for respectively urging the door to a closed position from respectively opposite open positions, a hold-open detent mechanism comprising a cam journalled on said spindle for independent rotation about the axis thereof, a pair of teeth on said cam angularly spaced apart for coaction with respective linkages, a shoulder on each linkage positioned to engage the respective cam tooth at a certain respective position of the linkage corresponding to a hold-open position of the door, an annular selector member secured to said cam in axially spaced relation therewith and having a circularly arcuate notch in its periphery, and an annular lock cam rotatably mounted on said frame in position to peripherally engage in said notch to lock said selector member and cam against rotation, said lock cam having a portion of its margin removed to provide a path for free passage of the periphery of said selector member when said lock cam is turned to a predetermined inoperative position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Gehr Feb. 28, 1922 

